James Farentino Dead At 73

Former DYNASTY actor James Farentino died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 73.

The cause was heart failure after a long illness, Bob Palmer, a spokesman for Mr. Farentino, said. Farentino, who died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, lived in Los Angeles.

He had a long resume in television and film and once said of his career, "I've got a resume that could choke a horse. I'm impressed by it. Producers who are casting people, they're all in their 20s now. You show it to somebody in the motion picture industry or television, they don't know and they don't care."

Farentino was married at times to actresses Elizabeth Ashley, Michele Lee and Deborah Mullowney (now known as Debrah Farentino). He is survived by his fourth wife, Stella, and their son, Saverio, and by his son, David, with Michele Lee.

In his later career Farentino had recurring roles on DYNASTY (Dr. Nick Toscanni), MELROSE PLACE (Mr. Beck) and ER (Ray Ross), on which he played George Clooney’s estranged father.